QUALICOPC: quality and costs of primary care in Europe, 2010-2014
Duration: May 2010 - Sept 2014
Background
International studies have provided evidence on benefits of well developed primary care systems. However, since the relevance of some of this research for the European situation is limited, more in-depth analyses are needed to corroborate these findings.
Aim
QUALICOPC aims to evaluate primary care systems in Europe against criteria of quality, equity and costs.
Participating countries
34 countries, being 26 European Union (EU) member states, and Iceland, Macedonia, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, Australia, Canada and New Zealand
Method
Data collection in 31 countries in Europe by means of two surveys: one among GPs and another among users / patients in primary care. Additionally, external data sources will be used, like: the System of Health Accounts (developed by Eurostat and OECD); the Health Care Quality Indicators Project (by OECD) and the PHAMEU data base (product from a EU DG Sanco funded European project).
Objectives
The objective of QUALICOPC is to evaluate primary care in Europe against criteria of quality, equity and costs. To this end, information on different settings and national strategies for primary care will be related to: generic health care system goals (like access, equity and cost-effectiveness), indicators of the process quality of services provided in primary care and to indicators of the quality of primary care as perceived by patients.
To facilitate this evaluation, information on the following associations will be studied:
- Primary care structures and outcomes related to avoidable hospitalisation
- The structure of primary care related to quality of services provision
- The structure and process of primary care related to patients’ perceived outcomes
- The structure and process quality of primary care related to costs
- The structure of primary care related to access and equity
- Good practices in integrated primary care in Europe (overarching the other associations)
Result
The study will show what strong primary care systems entail and which effects they have on the performance of overall health care systems.
International project website: CancelControl.eu: www.cancercontrol.eu/archived